FOCUS ON PHILATELY: Treaty of Brest-Litovsk commemorations revisited (06/05/05)

FOCUS ON PHILATELY

by Ingert Kuzych

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk commemorations revisited

A couple of years ago, on the 85th anniversary of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (February 9, 1918), I submitted a "Focus on Philately" article about this famous agreement and displayed some commemorative items created for the occasion. Since then, with the help of some friends, I have come across more Brest-Litovsk photographs and souvenir materials, which I would like to share with readers.

About the treaty

By the terms of this treaty, Ukraine was able to withdraw from the first world war in the spring of 1918 and enjoy a period of relative peace that extended for most of the remainder of the year. This time was crucial for the nascent state in establishing all types of new Ukrainian institutions, many of which would help it survive the turbulence of the next few years before finally succumbing to Bolshevik forces.

Most importantly, however, the treaty also granted Ukraine international recognition by the four Central Powers: Austria-Hungary, Germany, Bulgaria and Turkey. Eventually, about a dozen countries would extend diplomatic recognition to Ukraine.

It was in the interest of both sides - the Central Powers and Soviet Russia - to conclude a peace when they met at Brest-Litovsk in late 1917. Russia had suffered crushing defeats earlier in the year and many returning disillusioned Russian soldiers were creating instability in the countryside.

The Soviets desperately needed peace to consolidate their hold on the country and on December 16, 1918, they signed a three-month armistice with Germany.

The Central Powers on the other hand did not wish to move any further east and occupy more Russian territories. They were interested in eliminating their Eastern Front so that they could concentrate their forces against France and Italy in the west.

There was still another powerful force that drove the Central Powers to the bargaining table. Both Germany and Austria-Hungary were in dire need of foodstuffs and raw materials, both of which they hoped to obtain from Ukraine. So it was for these reasons that the Central Powers welcomed delegates from the newly independent Ukrainian National Republic, or UNR, which had declared its independence from Russia on January 22, 1918.

The delegates from Ukraine included Oleksander Sevriuk, Mykola Liubynsky, Mykola Levytsky, Vsevolod Holubovych and S. Ostapenko (Figure 1). The Soviet Russian delegation was headed by Leon Trotsky, who at a session of the conference on January 10, 1918, recognized the independence of the UNR and agreed to have its delegation participate in the proceedings. Subsequently, when he tried to discredit the Ukrainian delegation, he was ignored by the Central Powers.

The treaty provided for the recognition of Ukraine by the Central Powers and the establishment of frontiers between Ukraine and Austria-Hungary to run along the prewar boundaries between Russia and Austria-Hungary. The territory of the Ukrainian state recognized by the treaty included not only the nine former Russian imperial provinces claimed by the UNR's Central Rada, but also the province of Kholm and the southern third of the Minsk and Grodno provinces, including Brest-Litovsk itself (all of which had sizable Ukrainian populations); see Figure 2.

Additional treaty passages renounced the payment of the costs of the war and of reparations for war damages. Regulations for the mutual exchange of agricultural and industrial surpluses were set up and principles set forth for the establishment of customs, legal, diplomatic and consular relations. The release of prisoners of war and the exchange of war prisoners and interned civilians were also agreed to.

The day the treaty was signed was also the day Kyiv fell to Bolshevik troops. It was, therefore, necessary for Ukraine to request military assistance of its new allies. Initially, the Ukrainian government only asked for (western) Ukrainian units in the Austrian Army or special volunteer units formed in Germany from Ukrainian POWs, but complications arose and the plan was abandoned. Instead, it was mostly regular German and Austrian units that ended up clearing Ukraine of Bolsheviks.

In return for the above-described diplomatic recognition, trade agreements and military aid, Ukraine was obligated to deliver one million tons of grain to the Central Powers by the end of July.

On March 3, 1918, another peace treaty was signed at Brest-Litovsk, this time between Russia and the Central Powers. By its terms, Russia acknowledged the independence of Ukraine, as well as Poland and Finland, and was bound to quickly make peace with these countries. On July 12, 1918, Russia signed an official armistice recognizing Ukraine, but a formal peace treaty was never signed.

Ukraine and Bulgaria exchanged ratification documents on July 15, 1918 (Figure 3). Germany ratified the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Ukraine on July 24, 1918 (Figure 4), while Turkey ratified the treaty on August 11 of that year. Austria-Hungary repeatedly postponed its treaty ratification and the empire eventually fell apart at the conclusion of the war in November of 1918.

Ukraine ratified the treaty on June 12, 1918 (Figure 5), but was able to deliver only a portion of the amount of grain it had promised by the end of July. In the end, however, it made little difference, since by then it was becoming obvious that the Central Powers were going to lose the war and that the post-conflict situation in Europe would be changing dramatically.

Celebrating the treaty

The previous article focused mostly on medal and pin commemorations of the Brest-Litovsk Treaty. It turns out there were quite a few commemorative seals (labels) created for the occasion. Figure 6 shows a pair of these seals prepared in Berlin. The one on the right - proclaiming "Peace" in large letters and the names of Germany, Ukraine and Austria-Hungary in celebratory balloons - was previously reported, but at the time its mate was not known. That seal indicates the direction Russian troops would now be heading, from Brest-Litovsk to Petrograd (the Russian capital). The center German rhyming text is a Leon Trotsky quote from February 11, 1918, that states: "The war is done, we're going home." The two labels were printed on cream-colored paper in either red or black and perforated 11 1/2.

Another label arising in the German capital was more elaborate and printed in four colors (Figure 7). Prepared imperforate by the German Trade Mission, it depicts an example of agricultural machinery that Germany was to deliver to Ukraine in return for grain. The inscription simply states: "From Germany to Ukraine."

A commemoration from Austria is the so-called Grillparzer Issue. The central text reads: "Peace with Ukraine/Brest-Litovsk February 9, 1918," in the outer ring it reads: "Member of the Grillparzer Society in Vienna, Est. 1974"

World War 1914-1918. These were supposed to be charity labels, but were actually produced by a Viennese stamp dealer who had no scruples about preparing them as a way to make some money for himself. It was issued embossed with black ink on nine different colored papers.

Several other German-language commemorative seals are known. Figure 9 shows a rectangular label depicting a hilly landscape with a rising sun bearing the Latin word "Pax" (Peace). The upper text reads: "World War 1914-1918"; the bottom statement relates: "In commemoration of the peace negotiations at Brest-Litovsk." This seal is known to be printed in five colors, but others may exist.

Figure 10 depicts a modified version of this label. The scene is quite similar to that described above, but here the white shading lines in the hills have been removed. This version is known in eight colors.

Another seal - this time in a vertical format - depicts a standing figure holding aloft what looks like a palm branch and looking up at the word "pax" (Figure 11). On the right is the text "World War 1914-1918"; below is the inscription "Int.[ernational] Peace Conference Brest-Litovsk." This label design is known in at least 14 colors. Figure 12 displays a similar format, but is cruder in appearance; it is known in gold and dark red, and gold and green.

Even though the above-described labels were created abroad, likely all in Austria and Germany, they hold a particular relevance to collectors of Ukraine-related materials and should not be overlooked.

I wish to extend my sincerest appreciation to Peter Cybaniak, Roman Dubyniak and Borys Fessak for their assistance in the preparation of this article.

Ingert Kuzych may be contacted at P.O. Box 3, Springfield, VA 22150 or at his e-mail address: [email protected].

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